Greater New Orleans

Tulane still working on task at hand

BIRMINGHAM, ALA. -Monday was Labor Day, but that didn't mean that Tulane had the day off from work. It was back to business as usual for the Green Wave as it had its first practice since evacuating from Hurricane Gustav last week.

Tulane took the field at Samford in the morning - a relief to some players who aren't letting the hurricane affect their play.

"The field is still 100 yards by 53. We got a weight room, a football field and a place to sleep at night," senior offensive lineman Michael Parenton said. "Once you get past that and everything is here for you to succeed you can clear your mind and have crisp practices and get ready for Alabama."

The team watched the Alabama-Clemson game last Saturday together
and has started to get together a game plan for Saturday's season opener in Tuscaloosa.

Tulane watched the game to see if the things that it saw on film in the summer were still in place and what adjustments the Crimson Tide made during the summer and fall camp.

But perhaps more important, the practice field offers a chance to put away the worries of what's going on back home.

"When you're on the field, I try to put that to the side," said senior wide receiver Brian King, who is from Slidell. "Football is my main priority when I'm on the field and when we get out of practice or out a game is when I can focus on everything else."

Coach Bob Toledo and his staff finally had the chance to get to work on figuring out a game plan. They haven't been able to view any film since last Friday because the video equipment wasn't set up until late Monday morning.

Also, Alabama already has a game of experience under their belt, which provides Toledo with more film but the advantage might lie with the Crimson Tide.

"I believe any time that you're playing you're second game and the other team is playing their first game you're going to have an advantage," Toledo said. "Coaches say that you make your best improvement from week one to week two, and we're talking about Alabama. That's a program and a team that is outstanding."

Toledo understands that with Gustav pushing his team to Birmingham and opening the season against a team that beat No. 9 Clemson in the first week will be a difficult task.

"It's really difficult having to start the season especially with the opponent that we have to play. It's going to be tough," Toledo said. "It's an uphill battle. If we can focus and give our best effort and learn from the experience that's all I can really ask for."

Apparently, you can go home again.

Freshman offensive lineman Eric Jones is from Hoover High School just south of Birmingham. His family and some friends came and watched Jones at practice.

"It's kind of nice ... especially for me because I get to see my family and I get to see my girlfriend," Jones said. "It's just kind of lucky."

Jones has also played another role on the team during the evacuation - the Green Wave's unofficial tour guide. It comes along when the team has to evacuate to the place where you grew up.